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(ACO) regulations - American Society of Anesthesiologists

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CMS-1345-P 162<br />

the beneficiary has the freedom <strong>of</strong> choice to go to a different physician. The continued<br />

exercise <strong>of</strong> free choice by beneficiaries in selecting the physicians and other health care<br />

practitioners from whom they receive their services is thus a presupposition <strong>of</strong> the Shared<br />

Savings Program. The exercise <strong>of</strong> free choice, however, can be undermined or even<br />

nullified if beneficiaries do not possess adequate information to assess the possible<br />

consequences <strong>of</strong> available choices, or to evaluate which available options are most<br />

consistent with their values and preferences concerning their own health care. We<br />

therefore believe that an important component <strong>of</strong> the Shared Savings Program must be<br />

timely and effective communication with beneficiaries concerning the Shared Savings<br />

Program, their potential assignment to an <strong>ACO</strong>, and what that may mean for the<br />

beneficiaries' care.<br />

Furthermore, the Shared Savings Program lays the foundation for a beneficiarycentered<br />

delivery system that should create a strong relationship between beneficiaries<br />

and care providers based, in large part, on patient engagement in the new care system.<br />

Such engagement would be more difficult when beneficiaries are not aware <strong>of</strong> the new<br />

delivery system available from <strong>ACO</strong>s, and the possibility <strong>of</strong> being included in the<br />

population assigned to an <strong>ACO</strong>. In short, transparency must be a central feature <strong>of</strong> the<br />

Shared Savings Program.<br />

Therefore, we intend to develop a communications plan, including educational<br />

materials and other forms <strong>of</strong> outreach, to provide beneficiaries in a timely manner with<br />

accurate, clear, and understandable information about the Shared Savings Program in<br />

general, about their utilization <strong>of</strong> services furnished by a provider or supplier<br />

participating in an <strong>ACO</strong>, about the possibility <strong>of</strong> their being assigned to an <strong>ACO</strong> for

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